A difference would be that with Reagan(to take just one of your examples), while he may have been disengaged from the everyday process of governing, the policies put in place under his watch were pretty much the ones that he had promised to implement. Sure, he probably didn't have much idea about how the contras(for example) were being funded, but he knew that he wanted them funded, and said so, and as a result, they got funded.

Whereas Trump says stuff like "I want to break up the big banks", when it's pretty obvious that not only is he not going to be personally involved in such a process, no one in his administration is even going to begin to consider implementing the policy. For all the impact that such statements have, they might as well just have been uttered by a babbling drunk on the street corner somewhere, rather than by the POTUS.

Well, votd, I think that the biggest difference between Reagan and Trump is that Reagan actually believed most of what he said, whereas Trump is a compulsive liar whose entire career has been based on fraud of one sort or another. It isn't that Trump lacks the power to implement his promises, it is that he never had any intention of doing so.

I remember Regan and I remember a man who looked like he was suffering from some type of dementia in his second term. I do not subscribe to the idea that he was a truth teller he was a McCarthyite who lied about his fellow screen actors and helped destroy many careers. Prior to being President he was a master of spin especially in his time as Governor.

Reagan was first elected to the Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) in 1941, serving as an alternate member. After World War II, he resumed service and became third vice-president in 1946.[40] The adoption of conflict-of-interest bylaws in 1947 led the SAG president and six board members to resign; Reagan was nominated in a special election for the position of president and was subsequently elected.[40] He was chosen by the membership to serve seven additional one-year terms, from 1947 to 1952 and in 1959.[40] Reagan led the SAG through eventful years that were marked by labor-management disputes, the Taft–Hartley Act, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) hearings and the Hollywood blacklist era.[40]

Secret FBI informant in Hollywood

During the late 1940s, Reagan and his then-wife, Jane Wyman, provided the FBI with names of actors within the motion picture industry whom they believed to be communist sympathizers. Though he expressed reservations, he said, "Do they expect us to constitute ourselves as a little FBI of our own and determine just who is a Commie and who isn't?"[41]

Reagan testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee on the subject as well.[42] A fervent anti-communist, he reaffirmed his commitment to democratic principles, stating, "I never as a citizen want to see our country become urged, by either fear or resentment of this group, that we ever compromise with any of our democratic principles through that fear or resentment."[42]

I didn't say he was a good guy and I'm perfectly aware that he was a nasty, cowardly informer. But I remember him giving those tv talks back in the 50s on behalf of General Electric, or some other mega-corp. He was a fool, but I think he actually believed most of the bullshit he campaigned on, at least before the dementia set in.

"Although no actual evidence was presented, two ex-Obama administration officials destroyed the reputation of retired Lt Gen Michael Flynn, portraying him as a liar and potential traitor, reports Robert Parry."

"A sensationalized report published on the website of the Washington Post Monday afternoon claims that President Trump conveyed classified information to two high-ranking Russian officials during their well-publicized meeting last Wednesday at the White House..."

And this has nothing to do with "Russophobia". It is perfectly normal for a foreign minister and an ambassador to watch out for the interests of their country, including taking advantage of the stupidity of the purported leader of another country. The problem is Trump's extreme incompetence coupled with hubris.

Of course, to those who already believe Trump is involved with Russia those denials are less credible than the accusations. I guess it would be fair to assume that for those who already believe the media hates Trump, the Russiagate allegations are false, and "unnamed sources" is code for "something I just made up to get clicks," the accusations would be considered less credible than the denial.

Edited to add: I'm having a tough time finding much after the initial response (of course we all know the official story from Trump often changes, just like his estimation of his net worth, so I was hoping to find a contradiction in a later refutation), however, the Seth Rich story seems to have sucked all the oxygen out of the air on the Trump side. How convenient.

Russia President Vladimir Putin offered Wednesday to turn over to Congress records of U.S. President Donald Trump's discussions with Russian diplomats in which Trump is reported to have disclosed classified information.

...The White House has played down the importance and secrecy of the information Trump gave to the Russians, and that had been supplied by Israel under an intelligence-sharing agreement. Trump himself said he had "an absolute right" as president to share "facts pertaining to terrorism" and airline safety with Russia.

​Having to go hat in hand to the Russians to find out what's going on in the White House is not likely to generate much goodwill for Trump amongst Congressional leaders.

Let me tell you some day about the book on him I read back in the days before 9/11 (book was published in 2000). Putin is a very interesting man. Not the sort of person you'd want to get on the bad side of.

Most interesting is the argument that at this point the Democrats are better off with Trump as president, and the Republicans would be better off without him, because Pence would be a far better rubber stamp, and as things are going right now the executive branch is completely hamstrung.

In Wisconsin, Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke said Wednesday he has accepted an appointment as assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Clarke has called on local police to work as immigration officers in partnership with ICE. He has also declared there is "no police brutality in America," and has called members of the Black Lives Matter movement "garbage," "black slime" and "subhuman creeps." Clarke’s appointment comes as his Milwaukee jail remains under investigation after prisoner Terrill Thomas died of extreme dehydration when guards reportedly cut off the water in his solitary confinement cell for seven days. Thomas is one of four people who died at the Milwaukee County Jail over a six-month period last year.

They don't allow copying of bits of the article, but the incident took place outside the Turkish embassy in Washington, and involved Turkish bodyguards beating the crap out of a number of the demonstrators.

It's obviously an infraction of the law. But what will Trump's reaction be? I don't think he'll be able to tweet this one away.

On the other hand, Turkey is in NATO, and right now the USA cannot afford to lose them as an ally in Syria.

"How will these scandals affect Trump's presidency? And is the White House even capable of operating in this atmosphere of media hysteria? We ask contributing editor of The Nation magazine, professor emeritus at Princeton University - Stephen Cohen."

"The destinations on Donald Trump's first official foreign trip include Saudi Arabia and Israel. On the campaign trail he was highly critical of Washinton's military adventurism in the Middle East. Now it appears he is saying quite the opposite. Be prepared for wars Trump once condemned." *

I think that Trump has gotten so bad that we should start bombing the American people to save them from him.

As long as your in the lead jet in the first wave Im down with that. (Oh and need I point out, again, you supported him in the election. So go fuck off.)

I think Kropotkin's demand to bomb the US was meant as an ad absurdum argument against people who argue that dictatorships should be bombed.

And I can't quite recall him supporting Trump in the election. I think the closest he came was saying that Trump was no worse than Clinton or Obama. Not my personal view(except on a couple of issues where Trump has now backtracked anyway), but that was his position, I believe.

Speaking Saturday in Saudi Arabia where President Donald Trump is travelling, Tillerson said President Hassan Rouhani now has the opportunity to end Iran's role in supporting "destabilizing forces that exist in this region."

He also expressed his hope that Iran will put an end to its ballistic missile testing and restore "the rights of Iranians to freedom of speech, to freedom of organization, so Iranians can live the lives they deserve."

​I wonder if any of the US media will notice the hypocrisy in Tillerson lecturing Iran about citizen​'s freedoms from a platform in Saudi Arabia. Not likely.

"United States President Donald Trump has closed an arms deal with Saudi Arabia worth almost $110 billion and extending up to $350 billion over 10 years. The White House announced on Saturday the $110 billion deal will take effect immediately. Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson [Rexxon] 'will attend a signing ceremony for the deal,' according to a White House official."

"Donald Trump sets off on Friday to create the fantasy of an Arab Nato. The aim, however, is simple: to prepare the Sunni Muslims of the Middle East for war against the Shia Muslims. With help from Israel, of course..."

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani easily won his bid for a second term in Friday's election, securing 57 percent of the vote in a victory over his main challenger, the conservative Ebrahim Raisi.

Raisi, who secured 38 percent of the vote, is "one of four judges who sentenced thousands of political prisoners to death in the 1980s, regarded by reformers as a symbol of the security state at its most fearsome," Reuterswrites.

Voter turnout was strong; over 40 million—roughly 70 percent of those eligible—turned up at the polls.

"Our nation's message in the election was clear: Iran's nation chose the path of interaction with the world, away from violence and extremism," Rouhani, a key figure behind the historic U.S.-Iran nuclear deal, said in a post-win televised speech....

"Saudi Arabia and many of the countries that gave vast amounts of money to the Clinton Foundation want women as slaves and to kill gays. Hillary must return all money from such countries!" - Donald J Trump

"Saudi Arabia and many of the countries that gave vast amounts of money to the Clinton Foundation want women as slaves and to kill gays. Hillary must return all money from such countries!" - Donald J Trump

Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump has accepted a US$100 million donation from the same as above for her charity.